Best Campgrounds near Austell, GA

Camping is first come first served basis, no reservations. $20 per night, parking for one vehicle included. Extra vehicles require $5 parking pass per day. They take credit card. Pull up to the booth at the entrance before 5pm or see the camp host 5-8pm. After 8pm, the park gate closes. I was given a gate code in case I needed to leave and return during the closed hours.

The camping layout falls somewhere between dispersed camping and a traditional campground. When I checked in, I was told I could pull up to any site with a fire pit. There were picnic tables and trash cans at most sites. There are no hook ups at the sites, but there is a good amount of space on flat ground in the trees. Several cars, tents, or small campers would fit on each site. Bigger campers could opt for sites 8 or 9 which don’t have trees. I cleaned up a bit of trash around my site when I arrived. The camp host drove around selling firewood.

Many of these reviews seem older, so I wanted to add that there is a newer block bathroom with flush toilets, electricity and a shower stall, and outdoor water spigot near the stretch of campsites marked 1-20 along the river. It was clean. Driving in, you’ll see a sign that points you to “Main Camping.” The sites stretch down a lane that follows the river to a dead end, the river and sites are on the left and there is a large grassy airfield on the right. There was no airplane traffic while I was there and no signage to stay off of it, so perhaps it is no longer in use.

There is a boat ramp past site 20. I saw a sign at the bathhouse for paddling the river and various parks to camp along the way. There are signs for horse camping only at sites 18-20. One of the trails runs between the river bank and the campsites, with red blazes - “River Trail” - so don’t set up equipment there in case hikers or horses come through. I saw people fishing in the Chattahoochee River right off of their campsite. There is a small rapid that stretches across the river near sites 1-10, so you get that nice water flowing sound to fall asleep to!

There are also sites in other areas of the park, if you turn left instead of following the “Main Camping” sign. I’m not sure if they are numbered, and they seem more scattered. There is another bathhouse with running water and a shower that is older next to the cabin called “Old Ranger’s Station.”

The park has wide trails for horseback riding. I hiked the 2 mile Eagle Loop Trail and saw a mountain biker as well. I saw signs for an Orienteering Course. There is a splash pad and a new looking playground that from a glance, might be ADA accessible. There are many signs prohibiting swimming in the river due to the strong current. There is no beach and in most places, the river bank is steep. John Tanner Park has a swimming beach.

The park map is not great and the information available online is insufficient, but I do recommend coming to explore the area and camp! I’ll be back now that I have an understanding of the layout.

Winding Waters is a new, huge, and beautiful RV resort. This is not a campground, but a resort-style RV park with no shortage of amenities and activities. Nightly rate is very reasonable for all the bells and whistles you get. If you are just looking for a cheap, relaxing overnight with no frills, this is not the place for you. If you are looking for a fun family vacation spot to bring the kids, look no further.

Just outside Atlanta, the location is prime and beautiful, along the Etowah river. You can fish, kayak, or just relax. There is no shortage of activities for children. The resort's pool is a huge beach-style pool with a hot tub and even a huge waterslide. There is a large playground and huge dog run. They have a large clubhouse and ball courts.

We booked one of their cheaper sites, a classic pull-thru site. To say the least, it was the TIGHTEST pull thru site we have ever booked. We have never had to adjust and shimmy around in a pull thru site before, the whole point is to pull in once and bam you're set up. We could barely even squeeze our tow vehicle (10ft bed dually) into the designated parking spot without sticking out. Even the back in sites would have been a little more roomy. But hey, for all the amenities (that we didn't even use since we were just stopping over for a night) the price isn't awful. For a bit more, you can get your own private dog run or patio furniture.

We were pretty overwhelmed with the sheer amount of RVs in this place. Mostly all big rigs too. It was packed and they have so many sites. So many kids running around, and our neighbor's dog was off leash and ran over to my dog when I tried to take him potty. There are no walking paths in the resort, so people (and kids) are forced to run around on the streets, which are pretty narrow, winding, and uncomfortable to drive a big rig on. Just in general A LOT going on, very busy place. Great place if you like resort style parks, but not fun for an overnight. Since it's new there's no shade at all, so I can't imagine how hot it is in the summer and with all the big rigs blasting their a/c, they may run into electrical issues. But they planted some trees which should alleviate that a bit.

The rules list is pretty strict and extensive, with a bunch of extra fees for weird things like early check-in and personal golf carts. Make sure you read through everything thoroughly before you book. Some rules might be deal breakers for some people. Staff was very kind to us and we wish them the best with their new RV resort!

Our family had a great time camping… we are locals and this was a trial run with our new camper. The camping community here is great! The facilities are definitely dated but we didn’t have to use them so I can’t say what they were inside. The playground was fun for my kiddos although it really wasn’t age appropriate for our 3 year old twins very well. I’m not sure if it was just because it was 4/20 weekend but the only drawback was the pretty regular smell of the devils lettuce… I used to partake myself so I’m not downing any ones way of relaxing. We probably will not be back as I enjoy a little bit more family friendly environments these days.